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Military

15 January 2003

Wolfowitz Visits Afghanistan, Germany, Belgium

(Deputy Defense Secretary on three-nation swing January 15-17) (570)
The following article is from the Armed Forces Press Service:
WOLFOWITZ VISITS AFGHANISTAN, GERMANY, BELGIUM
By Linda D. Kozaryn 
American Forces Press Service
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, Jan. 15, 2003 -- Deputy Defense
Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz arrived in Afghanistan Jan. 14 after a
14-hour flight aboard an Air Force C-17 transport plane from Andrews
Air Force Base, Md.
Army Lt. Gen. Dan McNeil, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 180,
welcomed the deputy to the Afghan base, where Wolfowitz meets today
with U.S. and coalition troops and military officials and tour a road
construction site. The deputy is also slated to travel to the capital
city of Kabul to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Defense
Minister Fahim Khan and other Afghan leaders.
Along with the meetings, Wolfowitz was scheduled to observe a
live-fire exercise at the Afghan national army training range and to
visit the Rabia Balki Women's Hospital.
From Afghanistan, he goes to Stuttgart, Germany, for the Jan. 16
change of command ceremony for Marine Gen. James Jones at U.S.
European Command. He then heads to Mons, Belgium, for Jones' Jan. 17
change of command ceremony at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers
Europe. Jones, the former U.S. Marine Corps commandant, will take the
reins of the two commands during the two ceremonies.
A senior U.S. defense official told reporters traveling with Wolfowitz
that the day-long visit to Afghanistan would give the deputy a chance
to assess military operations in Afghanistan and the progress made
there to date.
People need to understand that the country has been devastated by more
than 20 years of invasions and war, the official noted. From that
perspective, he said, the improvements made over the last 18 months
have been nothing short of miraculous.
U.S. and coalition operations in Afghanistan are focused on providing
military security that will enable economic reconstruction, the
official said. As stability is restored and the Afghan government
develops the ability to deliver the services people need, its
authority will increase, he said.
Building an indigenous defense team is an important part establishing
security in Afghanistan, the official added. He said Wolfowitz was
particularly interested in seeing how Afghan national army training is
coming along and in getting firsthand reports on its troops' first
deployment.
During that deployment, an Afghan company went on patrol with a small
U.S. team to the town of Orgun-e in Paktia Province. The official said
the local population initially thought the Afghan soldiers were
Americans in Afghan uniforms because they were so disciplined and well
behaved and because they dealt comfortably with local police. U.S.
defense officials view the deployment as a positive start for the
fledgling national army.
When Wolfowitz last traveled to Afghanistan in July, the official
said, Afghan soldiers were just beginning their training. He expected
that the deputy's meeting with the Afghan defense minister would focus
on how to accelerate recruiting and equipping the Afghan national
army.
While in Kabul, Wolfowitz is also scheduled to visit the International
Security Assistance Force, another part of the Afghan security
picture. Troop visits and equipment inspections of the Dutch, German,
Spanish and Turkish contingents are on his agenda. Establishing the
international force was crucial to maintaining the neutrality of the
capital, the official said.
Wolfowitz is scheduled to return to Washington Nov. 17.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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